The Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) also known as the Ring-Necked Spitting Cobra is a type of venomous Elapid found in Southern Africa. It is not a true cobra as it is not part of the Genus Naja but part of the monotypic Genus called Hemachatus.

 

Features of the Rinkhals which differ from that of the true Cobra family include that the Rinkhals has Keeled dorsal scales, and is (ovo)viviparous which means the young develop inside the mother in a soft membrane and they give birth to these live young which then use a egg tooth to cut the membrane where as true Cobras have smooth scales and are oviparous (lay eggs). There are also a few skeletal differences between the Rinkhals and that of the true Cobras.

 

The Rinkhals is found in the Southern Western Cape along the South Coast, throughout the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, Highveld of Mpumalanga, North-Eastern parts of the Free State and North-West province, Southern Limpopo, Lesotho and Gauteng. Outside South Africa the Rinkhals is also found in Western Swaziland. Further up Africa the Rinkhals can only be found in Inyanga National Park on the border of Zimbabwe and Moçambique.

 

The Rinkhals is diurnal (active during the day) but may be found foraging in the evenings on warm Summer nights. They prefer moist grassland habitats and can be found around swamp habitats as well. They are opportunistic hunters and their diet varies. They can be found feeding on frogs and toads, as well as birds and their eggs, rodents and other reptiles such as lizards and snakes.

 

This snake is a spitter and has the ability to spray it's venom. Like all other Elapids, Rinkhals have a pair of grooved Proteroglyphous fangs which means they are fixed onto the the front of the Maxilla bone. As this snake is a spitter it has a venom canal which makes a 90 degree roughly circular exit aperture (hole) on the front of the fangs which is rifled (To increase accuracy and range) thus allowing it to spray it's venom. Unlike true Cobra spitters the Rinkhals has a rather old fashioned way of spraying it's venom, it has to rear its head off the ground and physically throw it's body forward to direct the stream of venom at the potential threat. The venom can travel through the air to a distance of around 2 meters. Amazing! Take note that true cobra spitters do not need to do this and can spray their venom from the ground without having to rear their body. Also take note that they do not specifically aim at the eyes, but rather at the highest point or front of the threat.

The stream of venom breaks up into hundreds of tiny droplets in the air and thus it is quite easy for venom to then land in the eyes.